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People's Power Party
The People's Power Party, or PPP, is a Socialist party in the Free Republic of Lourenne. The party was founded as the Socialist People's Party (SPP), then renamed the Socialist People's-New Left Coalition (SP-NLC), and then New Labour Party (NLP) before taking its current name. The Party is also a member of the Lourennian Socialist Nationalist Alliance. History Founding and Growth of the Socialist People's Party The People's Power Party was founded in Haboves in 2632 by a group of dedicated community organizers led by Marcus Valra. Valra wanted to organize a party that cared about the people and was dedicated to "keeping the people at the head of the government they elect." Valra brought the party to prominence after the election of 2636 where they gained 40 of the seats in the Senate. Valra, however, didn't win the presidency and was deeply saddened because he was quite old and thought he wouldn't be able to serve if elected in a later election. After the expansion of the party in the election of 2636 the New Left Party, a small party also out of Habroves, wanted to form a coalition with the Socialist People's Party. New Left Party Secretary Johannes Hermann von Lugendorf agreed to a permenant coalition and the party took the name Socialist People's-New Left Coalition and von Lugendorf was named Vice-Chairman with Valra as Chairman. The Party continued to grow and in the 2642 they grew to have 66 seats. The party felt energized and longed for the next election. However, in 2644 Valra became very sick. In his sickness however he continued to run the party but von Lugendorf took a major role in the day to day operation. The loss in 2645 upset the party and silently many members blamed Valra for the loss. Then in 2647 the party lost its founder to a heart attack and was deeply saddened. Valra would go on to become a martyer for the party. Establishment of the People's Power Party After a temporary time as the New Labour Party Chairman von Lugendorf was named General Secretary and became the uncontested leader of the party. The party was renamed the People's Power Party at the order of von Lugendorf. After taking control of the party, von Lugendorf created the Office of the People's Commissar and assigned the position to George Andrews, former Vice-Chairman of the SP-NLC. This was a move to solidify his power in the party as Andrews was a pushover who would listen to anything the party's head ordered. As the organization of the party changed a major event occured in Lourenne, the election didn't come. Andrews noticed immediately and informed von Lugendorf. In response von Lugendorf withdrew the party's participation in the nation's Cabinet. Political chaos insued as rumors of "coups" and constitutional suspensions rose up. These feeling subsided as the "early" election bill was passed after being proposed by von Lugendorf himself. However, in the election the party's role in the government shrank as it lost more seats. Contraty to common sense the loss only strengthened the power of the General Secretary. He moved all major party operrations to the People's Commissar's Office and replaced Andrews with an old friend from the New Left Party by the name of Chapotsky Naskarov. Naskarov was loyal to the party, and von Lugendorf, above all else. As the Commissar's power grew so did the General Secretary's. Von Lugendorf became totally undisputed in the party and any dissenters were quickly replaced by members loyal to von Lugendorf. Almost overnight the party went from a loose group of leftists and community activists to the party of the General Secretary. Purges of 2650 As his power grew von Lugendorf began to purge the party of any opposed to him and his rule as party leader. Every member of the party was subjected to a background check and interview and was removed if it was determined they weren't loyal enough to the General Secretary or the People's Commissar. These purges turned the party from a growing bureaucracy to a well-oiled, yet easily controled, machine with General Secretary von Lugendorf at the helm. Internal efficiency increased ten fold and demonstrations and rallies held by the party happened more frequently. However, public knowledge of the purges left many citizens upset that the party was becoming too radical and feared it may attempt to reorganize the govenment to be like their party if they won. Public opinion for the party floundered but the party stayed strong as they discovered new ways to relate to voters. Slow Growth As time passed the party slowly grew. It gained a few seats in the election of 2661 and the special election of 2662. However, increasing levels of competition with the Old Guard Party put the party last in the Senate with 52 seats. Von Lugendorf fumed at losing the initive. He attempted to show the people that his party cared about their rights by voting no on the controversial Civil Rights Reauthorization Act. He called the bill a blatent attempt to supress the rights of women and minorities. A short time later von Lugendrof sent a personal message to the parties of Lourenne asking for their endorsements. He called on them to end what he called the "Old Guard Party's stranglehold on politics in Lourenne." Factionalization of the Party After the election of 2665 the Party broke into 2 factions. This internal conflict has been attributed to the lack of an overwealming victory but has not yet been shown to have weakened the party. The two fations are both very loyal to von Lugendorf but have differing opinions on how to handle the current position of the party. The factions are the Revolutionary Guard, who want to break off from the established government and start a communist revolution, and the Socialist Democrats, who want to remain part of the government and change things peacefully and with due process. The Radicals also are much more militant in their views and are dedicated to the total communisation of Lourenne. On the other hand, the Social Democrats are much more peaceful and only want to establish a moderate socialist nation. Currently the two groups each have 50 seats on the Legislative Office of the Party but internal party elections are due in August 2666 and it is expected that for the moment the Social Democrats are more favored by the Party's members and von Lugendorf while the Radicals have the support of People's Commissar Naskarov and other small groups in the party. During the Party elections in August 2666 the Socialist Democrats gained a total of 78 seats in the Legislative Office. This ensured that the party would remain stable and not seperate from the Lourennian government. However this victory angered many hard-liners in the party. They threatened to leave but von Lugendorf eventually calmed them down and they agreed to stay and attempt to remain "productive members of the Party." Chapotsky Naskarov was slightly angered by the Revolutionary Guard's defeat but remained. Naskarov feared being removed and promised to not let his choice of faction affect his work. For the moment the PPP was kept along the path of internal unity. In December 2666 the Revolutionary Guard did get one thing through the Legislative Office in a late-night session. They called the bill the Armed Forces Act but many moderates called it the "Militarism Act" and railed against von Lugendorf for not throwing it out. However, unknown to many party members von Lugendorf's hands were tired. Naskarov told von Lugendorf that if the bill weren't allowed to be proposed to the Lourennian Senate he would pick up and leave and take the members of the Revolutionary Guard with him. Von Lugendorf was left with no choice but to propose the bill. Naskarov pushed further and made von Lugendorf decree that all PPP Senators vote for the bill. It seemed as if von Lugendorf would be forced to leave his post as General Secretary but he remained steadfast since he knew the moderates wouldn't allow a "vote of no confidence" to pass in the Legislative Office. Von Lugendorf was on the breaking point and was close to removing Naskarov from office but restrained himself knowing he'd lose some of the Party's best Senators along with Naskarov. Term of 2668 Burdened by Partisan Squabbles During the Senatorial term of 2668 the PPP found it hard to get anything done. The Revolutionary Guard was on the verge of gaining popular support in the party and many moderates feared that Chapostky Naskarov would attempt to take the General Secretaryship from von Lugendorf. During party election in January 2669 the Revolutionary Guard gained seats in the Legislative Office. They had 42 and were expected to win in the next election in 2670. Moderates went on a major campaign to end the growth of the Revolutionary Guard. While these power struggles occurred on the lower levels of the party, many upper level officials continued as if nothing had changed. The only exception was Naskarov, he was becomming power hungery. Von Lugendorf was becomming worried that his People's Commissar was out of control. Von Lugendorf ordered Naskarov to take a vacation to cool down but Naskarov refused. He felt he had work to do. In the Senate he proposed the People's Liberation Act. Most of the party senators refused to support the bill. Departure of a Rival and the Rise of von Lugendorf In 2671 the Old Guard Party left the government. This created a power vacuum in the Senate and left the Presidency vacant. There was a good chance that the PPP would take the Presidency and many seats in the election. The Party felt that the only major comptition was from the New Republic Party. The PPP viewed the NRP as the antithesis to their party and ran a hard campaign against and opponent they called imperial capitalist pigs. Almost overnight the factions seemed to stop arguing amongst themselves and instead unified against a common opponent. The Revolutionary Guard, and Naskarov in particular, kept quiet and did their jobs. Even though the Socialists won an overwhelming majority in the Legislative Office the Revolutionary Guard saw a chance to finally have control of the government. In response to this renewed unification of the Party, von Lugendorf wasvery confident of himself. He had been waiting to win the Presidency since he became General Secretary. He promised to regulate the economy, control spending, raise taxes for the wealthy while lowering taxes on the poor. He also wanted to radically change the constitution. He wanted to allow equal representation from all provinces reguardless of population, unify the executive under one individual, increase the size of the Senate to 450 seats, increase maximum number of proposals allowed by parties, and only allow the head of state to propose a cabinet. He was so confident that he would win that he put off starting his campaign until March 2671. Von Lugendorf won the presidential election of 2671 in a landslide. He used the funds left over from his campaign to build a new Party headquarters in St. Domitius. The new headquarters was named the Valra Building after Marcus Valra. Von Lugendorf immediately took residence in the building. Von Lugendorf Presidency and Party Unity Having won the presidency the PPP began to unify. It seemed that not winning was the only reason the party had splintered in the first place. Von Lugendorf ended up meeting and exceeding the party platform. He had worked tirelessly to bring Valran Socialism to Lourenne. Despite resistence from the New Republic Party, the Lourennian Nationalist Party helped the PPP pass all of its reforms. Von Lugendorf also ensured that the military and the media were more fair and centralized. As the party continued to unify old rivals soon became best friends. Laura Chamberlin and Maria Albatross were constantly working together in the Senate to pass Von Lugendorf's reforms and were proud to do so. Party Losses and Return to Factionalism With the return of the OGP and the loss of the Presidency and the Prime Ministership the PPP has entered in to a dark period. The old factions have begun squabbling and Naskarov has seen increased popularity in recent history. The Revolutionary Guard has also gained control of the Legislative Office but hasn't changed the party agenda to keep the Socialist Democrats quiet. Despite small gains in the Senate the party has yet to achieve a victory and there are signs the party may splinter permantly and go underground. The Revolutionary Guard has brought up the issue of leaving the current government to form a guerilla movement many times but all have been struck down by party moderates. In recent months the ISB has also stepped up its survaillence of party members and has even saught to remove many high ranking officials including Laura Chamberlin. Also, the Legislative Office has given many new powers to the ISB such as the power to watch party members without informing them and even given them the power to wiretap their phones if the phone was provided by the party. The ISB has also been given the power to arrest party members who have been seen breaking the law so and turn them over to law enforcement officials. Many moderate party members see this as a blatent move by the Revolutionary guard to crack down on those members of the party who don't agree with their radical views. Von Lugendorf's Retirement and Party Chaos On May 1, 2699 Johannes Hermann von Lugendorf officially retired from the position of General Secretary. He stated in his farewell address that he found himself personally responsible for the lowered status of the party and that he must leave the party to new leadership in order for the party to move forward. Many old party members were very distraught and saddened by his retirement. It signaled the end of an era, the Era of Valran Socialism, and the beginning of a new era. At the party congress in August 2699 the congress unanimously elected Chapotsky Naskarov to be the next General Secretary. He appointed Charles Valra, the grandson of Marcus Valra to the People's Commissarship. Naskarov, a hardline member of the Revolutionary Guard, pushed through many changes in the party that basically cemented his power. His General Secretaryship would be marked with internal clean-ups, major disputes, and an iron-fisted rule of the party. Party Structure The party is governed according to the Constitution of the People's Power Party which lays out the basic rules for interparty proceedure. Here is the basic structure of the party according to the party's constitution. General Secretary The Party is led unanimously by the General Secretary. The General Secretary is elected to their position and can only be removed by death, resignation, or a vote of no confidence by the Party Assembly. The General Secretary has the power to override any order given by the People's Commissar. * Johannes Hermann von Lugendorf (2647-2699) * Chapotsky Naskarov (2699- ) Office of the People's Commissar The Office of the People's Commissar is the primary mode of action in the PPP. It is led by the People's Commissar who is appointed by the General Secretary. The People's Commissar is in direct control of all party operations and answers only to the General Secretary. * George Andrews (2647-2649) * Chapotsky Naskarov (2649-2699) * Charles Valra (2699- ) Legislative Office The Legislative Office is a subdivision of the Office of the People's Commissar and is responible for the everyday decisions of the party. Any bill or resolution passed by the Legislative Office goes directly to the General Secretary for approval. The People's Commissar oversees the activities of the Legislative Office. The Legislative Office consists of 100 prominent PPP members and the Chairmen of the various provincial party division. In the absence of the People's Commissar the Legislative Office Provisional Chairman is the head of this body. The Legislative Office also has the ability to determine the Agenda of the People's Power Party. List of Legislative Office Provisional Chairmen: * Peter Clark (2647-) Internal Security Bureau (ISB) The ISB was established to provide internal security for all Party activities. It is responsible for investigating Party members who are suspected of taking part in illicit activities. The ISB didn't become a publically known part of the Party until 2679 when a private memo to Chapotsky Naskarov was leaked to media outlets. Since then the ISB has been officially acknowledged and is operating full-time for the Party. Since Chapotsky Naskarov took over the PPP the powers of the ISB have been significantly enhanced and it has become the party's private police force with powers almost exactly the same as real law enforcement. It has set up an independent party court system and acts as an internal spy agency. The ISB is overseen by the People's Commissar but currently is being run internally by an assigned commissar. Ther title given to commissar who oversee this section of the party is Commissar of Internal Security. List of Commissars of Internal Security * Lucas DeMarion (2672-) Party Leaders * Chapotsky Naskarov (General Secretary of the PPP) * Charles Valra (People's Commissar of the PPP) * Laura Chamberlin (Party Whip) * Peter Clark (Legislative Office Provisional Chairman) Notable Senators * Laura Chamberlin (Party Whip, Senior party Senator from Haboves) * Charles Markowitz (Haboves) * Gene Arbender (Haboves) * Arnold Harbringer (Haboves) * John Simons (Kreshar) * Maria Albatross (New Kreshar) * Tina Hoffman (New Kreshar) * Stewart Martin (Kundir) * Kristina Florance (Alvium) Notable Deceased Members * Marcus Valra (Founder/Chairman of SPP, Chairman of SP-NLC & NLP) Notable Retired Members * Johannes Hermann von Lugendorf (2nd General Secretary) Notable Purged Members * George Andrews (Fmr. Vice-Chairman of SPP, SP-NLC, & NLP and 1st People's Commissar) * John Floma (Haboves Party Chairman) * Mark Laurence (New Kreshar Party Chairman) * Jennifer Hancock (Kenshar Party Chairman) * Anthony Chang (Alvium Party Chairman) * Brittany Liebsten (Senior Party Senator from Kreshar) * Alan Greenbaum (Chairman of PPP Political Action Committee) * Andrew Liesam (Colonel (ret.), Senior Party National Security Advisor) * Martin LeFuente (Chairman of PPP Fundraising Committee) * Alex Martinez (Assistant to People's Commissar George Andrews) * Mathas Mertrand (Temporary NLP Chairman for 1 week after death of Marcus Valra) Factions of the People's Power Party * Revolutionary Guard - Radical wing, wants to seperate from government and start revolution. ** 68 seats in Legislative Office. * Socialist Democrats - Moderate wing, wants to use established methods to bring change. ** 32 seats in Legislative Office. Election History ---- Criticisms Many people and media outlets have long criticized the PPP for taking stances that seem to increase the power of the federal government to the point that it becomes tyrannical. Also, with the official acknowledgement of the Internal Security Bureau many critics say the Party is attempting to silence political rivals. Also, with the increased power of the ISB many party members have become scared to even leave the party. It has also been stated, though not acknowledged, that the party is forcing people to join the party through threats and acts of violence. The party has also been criticised for its religious stance. Links * Valran Socialism * International Democratic Worker's League * Marcus Valra * Chapotsky Naskarov * Johannes Hermann von Lugendorf * Revolutionary Guard * Socialist Democrats * Constitution of the People's Power Party * General Secretary * People's Commissar * Office of the People's Commissar * Agenda of the People's Power Party Category:Political parties in Lourenne